I. criminal procedure overview 3
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F. EXCESSIVE FORCETest: Police may use deadly force if: (i) The suspect poses a threat to serious bodily harm to officer or others (self-defense); OR (ii) If pursuing a fleeing suspect and the officer has PC to believe that suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical harm to the officer or others (and if where feasible, a warning can be given) (Garner) Note: The seizure of the suspect by the use of deadly force needs to be “reasonable” under the 4th Amend. Accordingly, you need to consider the nature of the crime, the threat posed by the suspect and whether he was attempting to flee (Graham). Garner (1985) (p.630) (to use deadly force, officer needs PC that suspect poses a significant threat) Facts: Police receive a call about a burglar breaking into a house. Police arrive and suspect tries to flee by climbing over a fence. Officer sees that suspect is unarmed. Officer shoots suspect to stop him from fleeing and he dies. Held: Deadly force may not be used unless it is necessary to prevent the escape and the officer has PC to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. In this instance, as the suspect was unarmed and the crime was a burglary (even though it was at night), there was no PC for the officer to believe that suspect posed any physical danger to the officer or others and therefore the use of force was constitutionally “unreasonable” (i.e. it is an “unreasonable” seizure as intrusiveness of seizure by use of deadly force is unmatched) Note: In Scott (2007) (p.635) it was held that Garner did not impose a rigid set of preconditions that apply whenever an officer uses deadly force, rather, the SC will always look at whether the actions of the officer were “reasonable” in the circumstances. In Scott, it was held to be a “reasonable” use of deadly force where a police officer rammed a fleeing suspect’s car resulting in the suspect becoming a quadriplegic. The car took into account the relative culpability of the suspect and the threat that he posed to other motorists on the road (there was powerful video footage which was shown to the SC). Graham (1989) (p.637) (diabetes case – 4th Amend reasonableness standard applies to all excessive force claims (deadly or not), test = whether officer’s actions were objectively reasonable in the circs) Facts: Officer becomes suspicious after he sees man enter store and leave quickly. As it turned out, the man was a diabetic and needed sugar urgently. Officer follows man and uses force to makes a Terry investigative stop (man suffers broken jaw etc.) Held: All claims that officer has used excessive force (deadly or not) should be examined under the 4th Amend “reasonableness standard”. Accordingly, the test is whether the officer’s actions were objectively reasonable in the circumstances (including nature of the crime, threat posed by suspect and whether he is actively attempting to flee), without regard to the officer’s subjective intent. As 4th Circuit erroneously considered the officer’s subjective state of mind, the matter was remanded for reconsideration under the reasonableness standard. G. CONSENTRule: Consent to a search must be freely and voluntarily given, and not the result of duress or coercion, express or implied. (Schneckloth) “Voluntariness” is a question of fact to be determined from all circumstances (including the subjective vulnerability of the subject), and while the subject’s knowledge of a right to refuse is a factor to be taken into account, the prosecution is not required to demonstrate such knowledge as a prerequisite to establishing a voluntary consent. (Schneckloth) Third party consent can be given by a co-inhabitant (Matlock – based on voluntary assumption of risk by sharing premises) unless the other co-inhabitant is physically present and refuses permission (Randolph) Third party consent may even be valid where a purported “co-inhabitant” has no actual authority to consent but it is reasonable for police to believe that the person does have actual authority (Rodriguez) Note: We have already covered voluntariness in the context of a Terry stop under Drayton (i.e. would a reasonable person would feel free to decline the officer’s requests and terminate the encounter?) Now we are looking beyond the initial stop, as to whether the search itself is voluntary. Schneckloth (1973) (p.641) (consent must be voluntarily given, no need to warn defendant of right to refuse) Facts: Police pull over a car with 6 men for a broken taillight. Car belonged to driver’s brother. Police ask for permission to search and one of the passengers (not the driver) said “Sure, go ahead” and even helped the officer open the trunk and glove compartment. Officer found 3 stolen checks. It is clear that the “stop” is perfectly legal but was the consent validly given in relation to the search? Majority: To justify a search on the basis of consent, the 4th and 14th Amends require the prosecution to prove that the consent was in fact freely and voluntarily given, and not the result of duress or coercion, express or implied. “Voluntariness” is a question of fact to be determined from all circumstances (including the subjective vulnerability of the subject), and while the subject’s knowledge of a right to refuse is a factor to be taken into account, the prosecution is not required to demonstrate such knowledge as a prerequisite to establishing a voluntary consent. No evidence of coercive tactics in this case, therefore, consent was voluntarily given. Dissent (Marshall): Powerful dissent – if consent means that a person has chosen to forego his right to exclude the police from the place they seek to search, it follows that his consent cannot be considered a meaningful choice unless he knew that he could in fact exclude the police
Matlock (1974) (p.648) (third party consent – co-inhabitant can consent to search) Held: Where people mutually use property and have joint access or control for most purposes, it is reasonable to recognize that any of the co-inhabitants has the right to permit the inspection in his own right and that others have assumed the risk that one of their number might permit the common area to be searched. Rodriguez (1990) (p.648) (third party consent – extended Matlock to situations where officer reasonably believes that purported “co-inhabitant” has authority to consent, but no such authority exists) Facts: GF beaten up and called police. She offered to let police into D’s apartment using her key. She described it as “our apartment” but she wasn’t actually residing in the apartment and therefore wasn’t a co-inhabitant. Held: Officer “reasonably believed” that GF had common authority over the premises (even though no such authority existed). Accordingly, the entry and search was reasonable in the circumstances. Randolph (2006) (p.649) (wife/husband case – a physically present co-occupant's stated refusal to consent to search will prevail over the consent of another other co-occupant) Facts: Separated couple, wife consents to police searching house but husband, who was standing at the front door, refuses. Majority: A physically present co-occupant’s stated refusal to permit entry prevails over the consent of another co-occupant, rendering the warrantless search “unreasonable” and invalid as to him. Accordingly, the search of the house was unreasonable. Dissent (Scalia/Roberts): Our common social expectations may well be that the other person will not, in turn, share what we have shared with them with another – including the police – but that is the risk we take in sharing and therefore the search was valid. Frazier v. Cupp (1969) (p.654) (shared duffel bag case – assumption of risk) Held: Consent of one cousin (sharing duffel bag) was effective to result in the seizure of evidence used against both (assumption of risk analysis). In allowing his cousin to use the bag and in leaving it in his house, the defendant must be taken to have assumed the risk that his cousin would allow someone else to look inside. Jimeno (1991) (p.657) (scope of consent search included bag on floor of car) Facts: Officer overheard telephone conversation in which it seemed like D was arranging a drug transaction. Officer followed D in his car and when he failed to stop at a red light the officer pulled him over and obtained his consent to search car. Officer found cocaine in a paper bag on the floor. Did the consent of the search include the paper bag on the floor? Held: The scope of a permissible consent search is determined by “objective reasonableness” under the 4th Amend – i.e., what would a reasonable person have understood by the exchange between the officer and the suspect? It is reasonable for an officer to consider a suspect’s general consent to search his car to include consent to examine a paper bag lying on the floor of his car. Directory: sites -> default -> files -> upload documents upload documents -> Torts Outline Daniel Ricks upload documents -> Torts outline Functions of Tort Law upload documents -> Constitutional Law (Yoshino, Fall 2009) Table of Contents upload documents -> Arrest: (1) pc? (2) Warrant required? upload documents -> Civil procedure outline upload documents -> Criminal Procedure: Police Investigation upload documents -> Regulation of Agricultural gmos in China upload documents -> Rodriguez Con Law Outline Judicial Review and Constitutional Interpretation upload documents -> Standing Justiciability (§ 501 Legal/beneficial owner of exclusive right? “Arising under” jx?) 46 Statute of Limitations Run? 46 Is Π an Author? 14 Is this a Work of Joint Authorship? 14 Is it a Work for Hire? upload documents -> Fed Courts Outline: 26 Pages Download 464.2 Kb. Share with your friends:
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